Are Storyline's fill-in-the-blank questions accessible?
Feb 25, 2022
Hello all,
In my organization, we build out most of our courses in Rise. We have limited ourselves to using the multiple choice knowledge check questions since we have accessibility concerns about the other types of questions. One alternative we are exploring is embedding a Storyline interactive for the knowledge check section, since we think we may have more options for accessible questions in Storyline.
The type of question we would really like to use more often is the fill-in-the-blank option. I am having trouble locating any documentation about whether this type of graded question is accessible in Storyline, and if it is not, if there's a workaround like there is for drag-and-drop questions.
Any help you can provide would be much appreciated! Thank you.
15 Replies
Good afternoon Emily,
My name is Julia and I will be assisting you with this question. I did some digging and I think a great option would be to use the survey option in storyline.
In storyline 360, you can check on the Slides tab and it will show a button for Survey Questions
Just remember that you need a Results Slide which you can also create which can find on the same tab beside the Survey Questions button and use Survey Results.
Thanks for your reply, Julia. I am confused why I would use the survey option instead of the fill-in-the-blank? Is the survey slide more accessible for some reason?
Good afternoon Emily,
Great question, upon further review, I think using graded questions would be better. You can add variations to the type of answers you are looking for.
I originally selected survey as an option because you can drag and drop, but I want to make it easier for you. I will insert a link in the chat to better help you. Thank you for circling back and giving me the ability to better help you.
https://community.articulate.com/articles/articulate-storyline-360-user-guide-how-to-add-form-based-questions
Hello Emily!
I wanted to jump in and share that using a Fill-in-the-blank is accessible. A few small tips that come to mind is making sure there is a button for the learner to submit their answer rather than relying on when the text entry field loses focus. Also, make sure to include alt text that explains the intent of the text entry field. For example, "Enter your name."
Please let us know if you have any additional questions!
Thank you so much, Lauren!
Hi Lauren,
Can you tell me specifically how fill-in-the-blank questions are accessible in Articulate Storyline 360? I see that everyone states that it is accessible, but I am wondering how. I'm trying to match up a WCAG success criterion to it. I would imagine it could be WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible. If I am incorrect, please let me know! Thanks for the info!
Courtney Campbell
Hello Courtney!
Fill-in-the-blank questions also meet 2.5.3 Label in Name.
I was very interested to read this post as I too am looking for alternative accessible options to multiple choice quizzes, and look forward to trying out the 'fill-in-the-blank' slide for my colleagues using accessible technology.
Thank you everyone.
I should note that any question type that you can access without a mouse should meet the minimum accessibility criteria. So while Drag and drop questions aren't accessible there are many other options you could use.
I am curious how others have handled the "blank" for screen readers. For example, if my statement is "The changes in Earth's climate are due to a build up of ____ _____ in our atmosphere." How would the learner know that there are blanks mid sentence. I think screen readers omit underscores so the learner would have to hear a jumbled sounding sentence with missing words which isn't ideal. I know I can write the word "blank" but then other users would see that.
Any tips?
Hi Ashley
Not very well I'm afraid, I reworded an existing blank question to be multiple-choice to get around it. I've recently managed to make drag and drop accessible and you've prompted me to think about an option using this for accessible 'fill in the blanks' - will add it to my 2023 task list!
Thaddeus, not sure why you say drag and drops are not accessible, they do take a considerable amount of variables and triggers, but they can be made to be keyboard and screen readers accessible. I have created several that have passed without issue.
I have also recently created an accessible drag and drop and it works very well.
If anyone has any updates on Ashley's 'blanks' question I would love to hear, as this would give another interesting interaction for colleagues who use screen readers.
Thanks.
I figured that hiding the original question from the screen reader (focus view), then creating another text box with the word "blank" that can't be seen by the eye (hidden behind a white shape) but that the screen reader can "see" might work.
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Hi, Ashley,
A practice I use for Fill-in-the-Blank multiple-choice questions is to present it on screen as:
Fill in the Blank. Orange is an interesting word because it is both a color and a __________.
- Tool
- Fruit
- Label
In the focus order for the prompt text, I adjust what a screen reader will read by entering the text: "FIll in the Blank. Orange is an interesting word because it is both a color and a (blank).”